What about personal finances?

[Brother James]

I know a lot of people who have gotten themselves in some really bad financial situations. I have a close family member who lost their house to foreclosure just a few months ago, and now they are on a vaction for 12 days in Ireland. I really don't get that. I was in the mortgage business for a while during the 2004-2006 craziness, and I was amazed how many people could not stand to have a nickel of equity in their house. The minute their house went up in value, they wanted to refinance to get at that money so they could spend it. Credit card debt buries an awful lot of people. I've been there and done that myself.

What do you do to keep yourself on a solid financial footing that glorifies God? That really is what it's all about, after all, right? I have curtailed my spending on nonsense things far more than I used to. Of course as you get older you figure more and more things are nonsense compared to when you're younger, I do realize that. I still drive the minivan I bought in 2003. It has 149k miles on it. I wouldn't think of replacing it until it is used up. Things like that. But my house does need a roof... that's a biggie coming up, but that's kind of necessary.

So how do you approach fiances?

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

When a person has high debts it is because they are enjoying nice things they normally could not afford.

To have a nice house and nice car and nice toys is gratifying , at least in the short term.

But when those folks sit down and see how many years it will take to pay it all off ..... that part is not fun ... so they close the books .... .

After the quick gratification has worn off , and the bleak outlook of years of payments , and the realization they would have to cut expenditures and focus on reducing debt ........ and before depression sets in .... they go out and borrow money for something new.

Again , it is done for quick gratification , it is a syndrome not unlike most addictions.

A moment of happiness in the midst of bleak reality .

Many years ago I got rid of my "fancy stuff" , did without a lot of things , paid off debt (didn't have much) , tried to pay cash for everything. I drive older vehicles , have no payments at all , decent income , some savings ...... and boy , do I ever live a modest lifestyle compared to most. I live within financial reality .... not always fun , but the feelings of peace and security help .

Our whole economic system is based on people purchasing with credit. In some ways it is a good system . It keeps our economy expanding , our governments borrow even more than we do , but every once in a while we need a crash to slow things down a bit.

 

[Groundzero]

I know a lot of people who have gotten themselves in some really bad financial situations. I have a close family member who lost their house to foreclosure just a few months ago, and now they are on a vaction for 12 days in Ireland. I really don't get that. I was in the mortgage business for a while during the 2004-2006 craziness, and I was amazed how many people could not stand to have a nickel of equity in their house. The minute their house went up in value, they wanted to refinance to get at that money so they could spend it. Credit card debt buries an awful lot of people. I've been there and done that myself.

What do you do to keep yourself on a solid financial footing that glorifies God? That really is what it's all about, after all, right? I have curtailed my spending on nonsense things far more than I used to. Of course as you get older you figure more and more things are nonsense compared to when you're younger, I do realize that. I still drive the minivan I bought in 2003. It has 149k miles on it. I wouldn't think of replacing it until it is used up. Things like that. But my house does need a roof... that's a biggie coming up, but that's kind of necessary.

So how do you approach fiances?

I think that one must do their best NOT to be in debt.Debt is scourge. The problem today is, too many people are selfish and impatient. They can't control their spending. Just because they want something doesn't mean that they can get it. Sometimes (often actually) we need to say, NO, I can't afford that. I have to stop myself all the time when I'm shopping, usually with food, since I'm always hungry. I'm constantly saying to myself, "No, I don't need to spend $5 on more chocolate."

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

..... I have to stop myself all the time when I'm shopping, usually with food, since I'm always hungry. I'm constantly saying to myself, "No, I don't need to spend $5 on more chocolate."

People spend a huge amount on food , are always hungry , always munching etc. Mostly junk food or highly processed food full of empty carbohydrates.

When I shop (about once a week) I will pick up seven T-Bone steaks ($35 - $45) .... bag of potatoes ($4) , frozen vegetables ($6)

For about $55 a week I can eat steak every day of the week. The crazy part is at the grocery checkout some lady will say .... boy it must be nice to afford steak ..... meantime her cart is full of junk snack items and her total is $280.

I also like bacon & eggs for breakfast .... only cost about $14 per week to have it every morning. I occasional make a big pot of wholesome Chili ($15) and freeze small portions to use for light snacks in between other meals.

I eat well , full meals , never hungry , and my food bill is lower than anyone I know.

I find if I don't bring junk - convenience type foods home in the first place , it works great.

Every once in a while I do .... bring home coke , chips , cookies , snacks , prepared foods .... I like them all .... but i am constantly eating , always hungry again right away , and they become expensive.

 

[Groundzero]

People spend a huge amount on food , are always hungry , always munching etc. Mostly junk food or highly processed food full of empty carbohydrates.

When I shop (about once a week) I will pick up seven T-Bone steaks ($35 - $45) .... bag of potatoes ($4) , frozen vegetables ($6)

For about $55 a week I can eat steak every day of the week. The crazy part is at the grocery checkout some lady will say .... boy it must be nice to afford steak ..... meantime her cart is full of junk snack items and her total is $280.

I also like bacon & eggs for breakfast .... only cost about $14 per week to have it every morning. I occasional make a big pot of wholesome Chili ($15) and freeze small portions to use for light snacks in between other meals.

I eat well , full meals , never hungry , and my food bill is lower than anyone I know.

I find if I don't bring junk - convenience type foods home in the first place , it works great.

Every once in a while I do .... bring home coke , chips , cookies , snacks , prepared foods .... I like them all .... but i am constantly eating , always hungry again right away , and they become expensive.

True, but I'm also constantly going. I can eat almost a whole chicken for one meal.

 

[Mungo]

I’m a war baby (world war 2). There was real austerity after the war. My dad had to be careful with money and always said don’t borrow money except for a mortgage. I inherited that attitude and my wife and I have always lived within our means and saved where possible.

When I was made redundant and got a lot of redundancy money I used the spare (after I got another job) to pay off the mortgage rather than spend on holidays etc.

We spend within our means but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any luxuries.

When I start thinking “I wish I had a bigger house, a house in the country, a 4x4 car etc”. I remind myself that what I have is what God has provided for me and it is sufficient for me. To complain it’s not enough is to criticise God’s provision.

 

[veteran]

I know a lot of people who have gotten themselves in some really bad financial situations. I have a close family member who lost their house to foreclosure just a few months ago, and now they are on a vaction for 12 days in Ireland. I really don't get that. I was in the mortgage business for a while during the 2004-2006 craziness, and I was amazed how many people could not stand to have a nickel of equity in their house. The minute their house went up in value, they wanted to refinance to get at that money so they could spend it. Credit card debt buries an awful lot of people. I've been there and done that myself.

What do you do to keep yourself on a solid financial footing that glorifies God? That really is what it's all about, after all, right? I have curtailed my spending on nonsense things far more than I used to. Of course as you get older you figure more and more things are nonsense compared to when you're younger, I do realize that. I still drive the minivan I bought in 2003. It has 149k miles on it. I wouldn't think of replacing it until it is used up. Things like that. But my house does need a roof... that's a biggie coming up, but that's kind of necessary.

So how do you approach fiances?

I don't see how the majority of working American families are even making it today.

The locusts have been and still are eating up the wealth of God's people (Book of Joel).

Many have lost their 401k retirement funds because of the money powers causing market bubbles like the last one with speculative credit instruments created out of thin air from mortgage debt.

With the hyper inflated U.S. dollar propped up by nothing, cost of a new roof will probably be almost double what it is now within a couple of years. So who can withstand what American financial leaders are doing with our economy today? Only the rich can, and if you'll notice, most of those are the ones in power over us today.

 

[Brother James]

Well, I have a little savings and I did buy a couple of gold coins, but I don't look to those things to protect me. Just trying to be a good steward. God will either provide, or He will ask me to sacrifice and suffer a little. Either way, it is all in His hands and everything is going to be okay. The financial turmoil of the world is not worth losing a second of sleep over. Nothing I can do about it anyway. There is only one place to look for peace, financial or otherwise, and that is to God. We only have a few things He has loaned us for a little while and everything we have is for His glory anyway. But when we get ourselves all jammed up with debts and other things that are our own fault (those who fall ill, lose jobs, etc. are deserving of help from those who are able to help) we lose our peace and we lose the ability to glorify God. We suffer stress and we stop looking to Him for our needs. That's the real tragedy of financial stress.

 

[HammerStone]

It really starts with orienting our view of money towards Jesus. It began for me by realizing that I am a steward of the resources that God has seen fit to provide me with.

It's not been easy, because I am surrounded by friends who are still in college (I'm 25 with a kid now), always going on vacations, and always full of Facebook updates where they are out to eat or traveling somewhere for a 1-2 week vacation at a beach. My wife and I have this discussion often as we see our friends doing this or that. Yet we both know that they're all in debt. I've got friends who will graduate with $100k in debt (primarily student loans) and no house. I've got other friends who have nice things (ATVs, nice cars, boats, etc.), but I know they're deep in debt to get 'em.

By the world's standards we've done pretty well. We've lowered our standard of living, yet at the same time, God has chosen to bless us so we still get to go eat out occasionally or purchase an item for the house or something. Our debts are limited to two cars and a home. My student loans are gone - which I was blessed to have an awesome opportunity for scholarships so I didn't need that much.

I attribute our position first and foremost to God, but we also did our part by listening to guys like Dave Ramsey. I'm no personal finance guru, but I had a personal finance class in college taught by a reasonable professor, and then I keep myself up on Ramsey's stuff. I feel like it is a waste of God's resources for me to get bogged down into too much debt.

 

[Brother James]

And HS, if for some reason God requires you (or me) to have to go through hardships, that is not a bad thing. Nobody wants to sign up for hardship, but if it was bad then God would not sometimes require it of His children. It hurts most when we suffer hardship as a result of our own irresponsibility (or stupidity). When we do without because we are being responsible, the higher part of us knows and feels good about it. There's always that hedonistic part in all of us (some more than others) that wants what we want when we want it, but yielding to that urge is very fleeting and not satisfying at all in the long run.

 

[lawrance]

I would say it's about all about foundations. true foundations !

I would never borrow money unless i could see a worthy out come to do as so.

I never liked someone having control over me, as i come across people who like to have a hold over you due to them knowing that you are not in a position of any control = slave. i am not a wage earner but a contractor and have to deal with pond life all the time and they try to play games with you, but i can read there minds even before they realise what they are saying. i have even had some fools jumping up and down, wanting me to do there work, thinking i had no options due to them thinking i was in no financial position to argue with them, they thought they had me as there slave. one Indian joker just did not believe me at all, as he thought all Australians were just foolish dolt's. boy the tricks that guy tryed to play i could of killed him.

I am not a slave to any man and i believe that no Christian should leave them self open to such. so in the world today we have a foolish people with no direction or foundations and that leads to destruction. it is also a sin and the wagers of sin is death.

 

[soupy]

i have even had some fools jumping up and down, wanting me to do there work, thinking i had no options due to them thinking i was in no financial position to argue with them, they thought they had me as there slave. one Indian joker just did not believe me at all, as he thought all Australians were just foolish dolt's. boy the tricks that kike tryed to play i could of killed him.

These comments seem sad to me, are we not to love others, I don't mean be a doormat, but know where they are in their life and just love them. I did look up "kike", not nice to use this term for God's creation.

 

[lawrance]

Kike to me is a white washed tomb full of dead mans bones. ( that's what they are, as it looks all nice and bright and shiny but when you touch into it you will see and smell the filth)

It would be a lot easier to be just a wage earner and be ignorant to the facts in life, but reality is if you do not watch out you will be walked all over. ( and this is happening to our nation, as it will not be long and we will all be slaves, as this is what happens to a Godless people = kikes)

I would never say i am a christian on a job site or what happens is they try to take you for an easy target and ridiculed at every moment and they will steal from you and cause as many problems they can for you, maybe it's just to test you out or their hatred of Christianity.

I have love for the sinner but hate the sin and i don't have to tolerate the works of Satan ever.

 

[soupy]

The online dictionaries I read said "kike" is a derogatory term for a Jew. It might help you to reconsider using the term.

I'm sorry that you are in such a poor work environment. If you are kind to people, when they find out you are a Christian it can be a powerful testimony. There will always be people who do not like your faith, but I find many people who do like my faith and are respectful and some are drawn to me to find out more. Your faith won't let you down, pray for power and strength to share your faith at the right time. Again when I say kind, I'm not implying you should be a doormat, or weak, you can stand up for yourself and still be kind to others. A wage earner needn't be ignorant to the facts of life, or be walked on.
I think you confuse confidence, strength, with fear and anger.

 

[Brother James]

I would hope that I would not have to tell people I am a follower of Christ for them to know it.

 

[soupy]

I would hope that I would not have to tell people I am a follower of Christ for them to know it.

I agree, rarely do I speak those words. But I have chosen to say those exact words, I don't like to say, " I am a Christian". Maybe it is semantics, but I want people to see He is an intregal part of my life. I'm still a work in progress, but I'm learning to show the love He wants me to, without compromising the values He tells me are important. Love is a great commanment for a reason.

 

[lawrance]

The online dictionaries I read said "kike" is a derogatory term for a Jew. It might help you to reconsider using the term.

I'm sorry that you are in such a poor work environment. If you are kind to people, when they find out you are a Christian it can be a powerful testimony. There will always be people who do not like your faith, but I find many people who do like my faith and are respectful and some are drawn to me to find out more. Your faith won't let you down, pray for power and strength to share your faith at the right time. Again when I say kind, I'm not implying you should be a doormat, or weak, you can stand up for yourself and still be kind to others. A wage earner needn't be ignorant to the facts of life, or be walked on.
I think you confuse confidence, strength, with fear and anger.

No confusion at all as i am like in my 50's.
The words used today have changed or in other countries or states can be interpreted differently. but that K word i used means just that and you need not be a Jew for it to apply. and in the USA you have a N word it means nothing to my generation hear but the young PC see it in a different light hear due to TV but to me it's just foolishness what they are saying as it's a worldly position. and my position is that the N word means black hearted and has nothing to with race at all unless used in the context of colour. i think the USA position is due to having slaves etc etc.

I have all the faith in the world and i know when to share it to the right people at the right time and i sure as hell know when not to.
Being meek does not mean weak and that's an other word that's been bastardised nowdays. and i am not kind to any who intend to inflict harm.
Wage earners need not be, but many don't have stark reality shoved at them day in day out.

 

[Eric E Stahl]

Haggai 1:5b-7
Consider your ways.
6Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7Thus saith the LORD of hosts;
Consider your ways.

Read the book of Haggai. The principal is give God his due or you will not be able to manage your wages.

We are to work so we have enough money to help others also.

 

[bibleknowledge]

Personal financial crisis is the result of personal decisions. There are times when a person spends more than what he can earn. Many working people practice the way of having their salaries spent even before the actual payday. This practice puts them in a financial dilemma brought by debts, loans, and mortgages.

God always make ways, but we need to act on the ways that God is providing us. We need to work so we are able to sustain our needs. We need to work and give back to God in terms of service and helping His church.

 

[Giver]

When first in my ministry, Jesus asked me to give him my life. When I was about to give Jesus what he asked of me, the Holy Spirit let me know that if I gave my life to Jesus I would lose everything I owned.

It was not long before I was living in a tent along with my wife, three babies and a dog.

I lived from small paychecks to small paychecks for the next thirty some years.

Jesus taught me to never have a savings account. One was never to own anything of value.

Jesus called a man a fool for saving up for his retirement.